Last week we talked about the connection between blood traveling in vessels, which are like paths leading to different parts of the body, and  Jesus being the only path to salvation. This week we are going to take a look at a component of blood. We are going to see how red blood cells make a connection to salvation. 

Red Blood Cells are extremely important to the human body. Their job is to carry oxygen to your entire body, and then collect the carbon dioxide so that your lungs can get rid of it. Hemoglobin is a protein in blood. This protein carries oxygen in the blood to the whole body. It is because of this protein oxygen and carbon dioxide can be carried through the body. 

How Do Red Blood Cells Relate to Salvation?

I have to admit, I didn’t see the connection between red blood cells and salvation at first. While I knew God was leading me to write about this, I had no clue where to go or what to say. I spent days pondering and asking God how these connect. Clarity started to come slowly. It wasn’t until God asked me to speak on this very topic during church that he really made the connection clear. 

We need oxygen to survive. We breathe oxygen in through our mouths. There is the connection. We are redeemed when we proclaim Jesus is Lord of our life with our mouth. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). It is through the breath of our mouth we are saved. 

Breath of Life

We see breath creating life in Genesis 2:7 (ESV), “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” Without the breath of God, we would not exist. We would just be a pile of dirt, blown away by the wind. 

Breath Used to Write Scripture

Even the Word of God is in existence because of the breath of God. In 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV) we see, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” Without God breathing and telling the authors what to write, we wouldn’t have a Bible. We would literally be sheep without a shepherd. It would be impossible to know what God thinks about subjects such as marriage, children, and finances. 

Jesus’ Last Breath

It was through the last breath of Jesus when the sacrifice was complete and redemption could be achieved. Right before Jesus died he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). In Mark we learn, “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.” Mark 15:37 (ESV). With his last breath he proclaims our debt is paid in full. That’s incredible! 

After we use our mouths to confess Jesus as Lord of our lives, we then are told to tell others our testimonies. We are supposed to be using our breath to tell others of what Jesus has done in our lives. Acts‬ ‭4 tells us of a time when Peter and John were being interrogated for proclaiming what Jesus had done for them. The priests knew they couldn’t kill them because doing so would cause a riot. Their solution was to tell Peter and John to just stop speaking about Jesus. Their response was, “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” ‭‭Acts 4:20‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). They could not help but use their breath to tell anyone who would listen about the mighty works Jesus did for them. 

The Word of Their Testimony

In Revelation we are told the saints defeat Satan through the words of their testimony. “And they (the saints) have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:11‬ ‭(ESV) (words in parenthesis mine). Life is the hardest it will ever be for Christians. They aren’t just getting canceled by big tech, or losing their jobs. They are being hunted down and murdered. Tribulation saints aren’t allowed to buy products or just live a normal life since they refuse to take the mark of the beast. Life isn’t just difficult, it’s nearly impossible to survive. Clearly, these saints still have boldness. As long as they have breath they continue to defeat Satan with the word of their testimony. They continue to tell what Jesus has done for them.

The Link

As you can see oxygen is imperative for not only salvation, but also in telling others what Jesus has done for us. Jesus used his breath to declare we are redeemed. Then he gave up his last breath and died, conquering death by raising back to life. His sacrifice for us means we can be redeemed. His word can be trusted.

Without our red blood cells carrying oxygen to our bodies, we wouldn’t have the oxygen to speak. We need the oxygen carried by the red blood cells to live. If our red blood cells quit carrying oxygen to our body, we would die. At the very least the part of our body not getting those red blood cells would die. I am thankful God made our red blood cells the way he did so we can properly use oxygen. Let’s not waste the breath God gives us. Let’s choose to use our breath to proclaim Jesus as Lord of our life. Then tell everyone about the amazing gift he has given us.